National drug regulators have given the Novavax vaccine a green light, along with two oral treatments for patients currently suffering from COVID-19.
On Thursday, the Therapeutic Goods Agency (TGA) approved the Novavax vaccine, also known as Nuvaxovid, for adults over the age of 18, making it the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine in the national arsenal.
Research into using Novavax as a booster shot is still underway and is recommended for use only as a primary vaccine.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said Thursday that he hopes the new jab will increase the country’s vaccination coverage.
“We know that some people are waiting for this vaccine, and … hopefully this will encourage those people in the last 5 percent to come forward,” Hunt said. Said.
He said the government has secured 51 million doses of vaccine and the first batch will arrive next month.
Jab will be given twice at 3-week intervals and will be available at state clinics, GPs and pharmacies.
Professor John, the boss of TGA, points out that vaccines are made using “old technology,” and his agency is the second major regulator in the world to approve protein-based vaccines. Said.
“There would have been hundreds of emails from individuals and groups saying what we wanted for some reason. [this] Certain vaccines … this only gives them more options, “Skerritt told reporters.
“Our dream is to change 95 percent (vaccination rate) to 97 or 98 percent.”
He added that the trial demonstrated that the vaccine was more than 90% effective and “there were no strong signs of adverse events.”
Novavax needs final approval from the Australian Technical Advisory Group (ATAGI) on immunization to determine who is eligible for the vaccine.
Protein vaccines work using the non-infectious ingredients found on the surface of the new coronavirus.
After vaccination, immune cells recognize the vaccine protein as a foreign body and initiate an immune response to it.
Novavax, along with AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen, is the fifth vaccine approved for use in Australia.
Meanwhile, the TGA also approved the first antivirals, Pfizer’s Paxlovid and Merck Sharp & Dohme’s Lagevrio, but emphasized that they are not a substitute for vaccination.
Tablets are designed to work by preventing the patient’s condition from progressing to more serious stages and blocking the ability of the virus to propagate in the patient’s body.
People with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 should be taken twice daily within the first 5 days of infection with the virus.
Approximately 500,000 Paxlovid and 300,000 Lagevrio will arrive in the country in the coming weeks.
According to Hunt, patients can take prescriptions from their GP or medicine at the hospital.
“These courses will help some of the most vulnerable people, especially older Australians who are always at high risk of COVID,” he said.
Pregnant and lactating women are not advised to take the pill.
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Nina Nguyen is a Sydney-based Vietnamese reporter with a focus on Australian news. Contact her at [email protected]